They build cities. They farm. They make war. Ants do a lot of things that seem uncannily human — and yet they’re profoundly alien, part of a hive mind called a social organism. What does that feel like to each individual ant? Now a new scientific paper suggests that there is always doubt in the hive mind. »6/12/15 8:50pm 6/12/15 8:50pm

It’s just not right. Adult humans should not have to fear monsters. But how in the world will the world ever sleep again after knowing that this terrifying radiator fluid-looking worm goo thing exists? Can humanity survive after seeing this? Just look at the sludge bug shoots out its pink dart and you’ll only dream… »6/09/15 11:04pm 6/09/15 11:04pm

The twinkly flashing lights of fireflies are a classic sign of summer, but the insects aren’t blinking for your aesthetic benefit. They’re courting in an absolutely cutthroat meet market, and some scientists are afraid that human activities could be making it harder for them to succeed. This summer, you can help… »6/08/15 3:07pm 6/08/15 3:07pm

NASA’s been studying the way bugs splatter for years. Those gooey speckles of black and red might be gross to you, but to aerospace engineers, they’re a riddle that’s plagued the industry for decades. Yes, bug guts. »6/02/15 2:25pm 6/02/15 2:25pm

If anything in nature could be creepier than cockroaches, it would be zombie cockroaches, so good thing those don’t exist, right? Right? Actually, they do exist, thanks to the terrifying work of the dementor wasp. I’m never going outside again. »5/29/15 1:05pm 5/29/15 1:05pm

A mating system that puts the sexes in conflict can evolve some pretty extreme copulatory structures. Spiky penises and twisty vaginas are the tip of the iceberg. According to a study in the Journal of Experimental Biology last week, we should add protein-melting vaginal tracts to the list. »5/26/15 10:51am 5/26/15 10:51am

We’ve been breeding the fly Drosophila melanogaster in the lab for decades. We’ve tinkered with their genes — giving them extra legs, curly wings, or odd colored eyes – in pursuit of understanding genetic inheritance and how tissues develop. But until now we didn’t know which chemical made them start to mate. »5/21/15 1:18pm 5/21/15 1:18pm

Crab lice (Pthirus pubis) aren’t crabs at all—they’re parasitic insects that feed exclusively on human blood, and their bites can cause intense itching in their hosts. Often, this itching happens in the pubic area, which is why they’re also known as “pubic lice”—which, it turns out, is actually a misnomer. »5/15/15 7:25pm 5/15/15 7:25pm

You already know that vibrators are great for erotic release. It turns out they can do something similar for plants. In an article at Wired, Gwen Pearson discusses how vibrators found a home on the farm by mimicking the intense thrum of bumblebees. »5/08/15 6:40pm 5/08/15 6:40pm

When it’s time for sex, many plants literally tap into animal appetites, attracting them with the promise of sugar and smearing them with pollen while they eat. But if you’re going to rely on a third party for sex, you need some really good advertising. One recent study has identified a plant that makes a beacon out… »5/06/15 4:27pm 5/06/15 4:27pm

30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to the CDC each year, making it the most common vector-borne disease in America. Both you and your dog are exposed to it every time you’re outdoors. It can block your heart, cause intense pain and, sometimes, even lead to death. And reported cases are on the rise. »5/05/15 8:00pm 5/05/15 8:00pm

I no longer want to live in this world anymore because I don’t want to share it with this utterly terrifying ribbon worm that has the ability to spit out an even more terrifying web-shaped goo. The way the substance stretches across that person’s hand just makes me want to never ever go outside again. »5/04/15 8:19pm 5/04/15 8:19pm

In 2004, Brooke Borel got bed bugs in New York. Then she experienced them again in 2009—twice in two different apartments. Because of those experiences, which were part of a widespread bed bug resurgence in the US, Borel, a science journalist, decided to explore why the bugs were back. This excerpt is one of many…»4/27/15 11:00am 4/27/15 11:00am

Bugs and rats have lived for centuries in a deadlocked battle for the title of Worst Pest in NYC, but the scientists behind a new study may have just dealt bug fans a decisive victory by proving how urban insects are our friends—or, more specifically, our garbage .»12/02/14 6:24pm 12/02/14 6:24pm

Controlling cockroaches with electrical 'backpacks' is one of those science experiments that's simultaneously quite cool and ethically grey. What might make you feel better, though, is the knowledge that those remote-controlled cockroaches may save your life if you ever get trapped inside a burning building. »11/07/14 12:08am 11/07/14 12:08am

This is a blister beetle photographed with a Macropod—"a low cost, portable, three-dimensional imaging solution" that allows scientists to break the depth of field limitations typical of macro photography by taking multiple exposures and merging them into a single ultra-sharp image using software. »10/20/14 2:29pm 10/20/14 2:29pm